21 May 2016

With Dejan Lovren's improved form, and the impending arrival of Joel Matip, Reds veteran Martin Skrtel has fight on his hands for a regular first-team place next season, and according to agent Mithat Halis, one of Turkey's top teams is desperate to capitalise and sign the 'outstanding' Slovakian this summer.

Besiktas have reportedly made an official offer for Skrtel, and according to Halis this week:

“Besiktas want Skrtel and make no secret of this, Turkish sides have been trying to sign him for five seasons but this summer he could make the move".

I remain a big fan of Skrtel^, but there's a possibility that Liverpool's failure to qualify for European competition may hasten his exit.

Next season, the Reds face a reduced fixture schedule, and with only 40-45 games across the whole season (including domestic cups) the team just cannot support four senior international centre-backs.

Stability is one of the keys to defensive solidity, and constantly rotating defenders is not conducive to achieving this. As such, Jurgen Klopp will need to determine his best defensive partnership and stick with it, especially in the league, and that means ongoing frustration for those not in the team.

Injuries will inevitably need to be covered, but I doubt Skrtel is interested in being a permanent back-up. On the other hand, with Sakho out until October/November (or longer) Skrtel is definitely needed at Anfield; there's no guarantee that Matip will hit the ground running, and selling him without bringing in a replacement is madness.

In any event, I fully expect Skrtel to make a triumphant comeback next season. Form is temporary, class is permanent, and a couple of erratic performances (Lovren and Sakho have suffered these, too) doesn't change the proven fact that Skrtel is the club's most consistently effective centre-half (over the last 4 years).